Pikachu Line/RBY
In Red and Blue, Pikachu is only available in Viridian Forest as a very rare encounter, and at the Power Plant as a relatively common one. Raichu is also found in the Power Plant. In Yellow, Pikachu is only available as a starter in Oak's Lab, but it will refuse to evolve when a ThunderStone is used on it. ThunderStones may be bought in Celadon City. Pikachu! Who does not know Pikachu? Even Pokémon-gnostics do: it is the very mascot not only of Pokémon Yellow, but also of the franchise in its whole. It is indeed a pity that, despite having an entire game dedicated to it, Pikachu performs so badly in it, as it has the crippling limit of being incapable of evolving. Trading can solve this issue - Pikachu can be passed on to another game to use a ThunderStone on it, and then be traded back - but for many nuzlockers, this will likely be against the spirit of doing a Yellow nuzlocke. However, the alternative is essentially occupying a needless team slot for the rest of the game, covering a role that a great many Pokémon can perform better, even as simple Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave users. Pikachu does not do well at all in a world of early evolved Pokémon. Raichu, on the other hand, is nothing short of fantastic: ample movepool, two very good attacking stats that both get godly coverage by Generation I standards, high Speed, and even a few good support moves that help make it an all-round tank and hard hitter. Important Matchups - Yellow = * Rival (Oak's Lab): ThunderShock that Eevee until it goes down. The battle should not be hard to win, since Pikachu is faster and has stronger STAB, but withdraw the Potion from the PC just in case. * Rival (Route 22, optional): ThunderShock spam goes a long way, 2-3HKOing Spearow; it can also easily beat Eevee's Tackle. It is recommended to use Thunder Wave against Eevee first, else its Sand-Attacks may make it hard for Pikachu to hit it. * Gym #1 - Brock (Pewter City, Rock-type): Pikachu is not going to be helpful against Geodude at all, except to spam Growl and let a Pokémon that can actually deal damage do the rest of the job; Quick Attack is weak, and any attempts at using Tail Whip will be nulled by Geodude's Defense Curl. Pikachu may attempt Tail Whip against Onix instead, but use caution against it, as its Bind can trap Pikachu for several turns and rendering Onix weak enough for Quick Attack to do some actual damage will take time. * Rival (Cerulean City): Pikachu's ThunderShock 2-3HKOs Spearow and eventually KOs Eevee, outdamaging its Tackle. Rattata's Hyper Fang is actually stronger, but both hits over around 3HKO range; keeping Pikachu on the battlefield for the third hit is dangerous, however, as unlike Hyper Fang, ThunderShock is not guaranteed to kill in three hits. Pikachu can also win against Sandshrew, although not without pain: it needs to use Tail Whip at least twice to outdamage its Scratch, but can then 4-5HKO it. * Gym #2 - Misty (Cerulean City, Water-type): Pikachu's ThunderShock 3HKOs Staryu on average, but Starmie's BubbleBeam can deal almost twice as much damage than it, and Starmie outspeeds. Pikachu can only win against Starmie if it already knows Thunderbolt, and the 2HKO is still not guaranteed unless Pikachu's level is higher than Starmie's. * Rival (S.S. Anne): Pikachu's ThunderShock is still good to 2HKO Spearow and 3HKO Rattata, and it will eventually win against Eevee by spamming it as well, possibly aided by Thunder Wave; alternatively, Slam can be used against Eevee, for a swifter KO (assuming Slam does hit). Sandshrew must be avoided again, as its Slash makes it much more dangerous than before, scoring a 3HKO. * Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Seriously, this is not the anime. Raichu's Mega Kick mercilessly 2HKOs Pikachu. * Rival (Pokémon Tower): Thunderbolt can 2HKO Fearow, unless its Fury Attack does so first; the minimum number of non-critical hits required to knock Pikachu out of commission is seven, which means a number of combinations will actually do so, rendering the matchup risky. Thunderbolt OHKOs Shellder easily, and also 2-3HKOs Vulpix, but Sandshrew's Slash still beats Pikachu's Body Slam, even with the likely difference in levels weighing in Pikachu's favour. Magnemite can be 3-4HKOed with Body Slam, if Pikachu can withstand as many SonicBooms and/or work around them with Thunder Wave; Eevee is 3HKOed by Thunderbolt or 2-3HKOed by Submission. * Giovanni (Rocket Hideout, Ground-type): Pikachu 3-4HKOs Onix and 3HKOs Rhyhorn with Submission; neither Pokémon knows any Ground moves. Persian, however, will 3HKO Pikachu with Bite before it can do the same. * Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Pikachu is severely outdamaged by all of Erika's Pokémon, and Tangela and Weepinbell also know dangerous trapping moves, respectively Bind and Wrap. Avoid this matchup. * Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): The first two Venonat are 2-3HKOed by Thunderbolt, and the third is always 3HKOed; their Psychic is thankfully weaker than Pikachu's STAB. Venomoth, however, outdamages Thunderbolt by a far cry. * Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Pikachu's Thunderbolt can 3HKO Hitmonchan before it does so with Mega Punch, but Hitmonlee's Double Kick makes it unapproachable. * Rival (Silph Co.): Pikachu cannot take on Sandslash, which remains an unsurmountable obstacle, though it can use Thunderbolt to 2HKO Cloyster and 3-4HKO Ninetales. Magneton is a 5HKO with Body Slam, and Pikachu can make it with the aid of Thunder Wave, but this is up to chance, as Magneton deals predictable damage through SonicBoom. Kadabra, Jolteon and Flareon all outmatch Pikachu with their strongest moves; only Vaporeon can be beaten, 3-4HKOed by Thunderbolt, and Pikachu just barely manages to keep up with the damage throughput of its Aurora Beam. * Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Pikachu's Thunderbolt 3HKOs Nidorino; Persian can be 2-3HKOed with Submission, which will also 3-4HKO Rhyhorn, if Horn Attack and the Submission recoil allow Pikachu to survive. Nidoqueen's Body Slam is much stronger than any of Pikachu's moves, so it should be avoided. * Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Abra only knows Teleport and Flash, anything can beat it. Kadabra and Alakazam are impossible for Pikachu, unless it gets spammed with X items against Abra before dealing the finishing blow. * Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): No. All of Blaine's Pokémon are far stronger than Pikachu, which would be in danger even just laying a Thunder Wave and switching out. * Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): No. Every single Pokémon on Giovanni's team OHKOs Pikachu with Earthquake minus Persian, which can still 2HKO with Slash. * Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Sandslash and Kadabra hard-wall Pikachu and cannot be beaten. Exeggcute can be 4-5HKOed with Body Slam, providing Pikachu manages to keep its health high enough between Leech Seed and PoisonPowder. Body Slam also outdamages Magneton's Swift, resulting in a 4-5HKO; Ninetales is 3-4HKOed by Thunderbolt, having only Ember as its STAB. Cloyster is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt, but Vaporeon 2HKOs Pikachu with Hydro Pump and both Jolteon and Flareon also outdamage it, with Thunder and Flamethrower respectively. * Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Thunderbolt can 2HKO Dewgong and Cloyster relatively risk-free, but Slowbro easily outmatches Pikachu after a single Amnesia, Lapras deals more damage with Blizzard and results in a 2HKO against Pikachu's 2-3HKO, and Jynx's Ice Punch is stronger than Thunderbolt as well, 3HKOing with near-certainty where Thunderbolt is a near-guaranteed 4HKO. Thunder Wave will hardly make this matchup any better; Light Screen may, but Slowbro and Lapras are still threatening to Pikachu, which can at best set up and switch out, short of staying in and relying on Thunder Wave to dodge as many hits as possible before beating them, which is an unlikely circumstance. * Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Pikachu may attempt to Submission the first Onix, 3-4HKOing it, but needs to withdraw from the battlefield the moment it uses Dig. The second Onix knows Earthquake, and must be avoided altogether. Thunderbolt 2HKOs Hitmonchan, the weak link in the chain which has no physical moves; Hitmonlee is 2HKOed as well, but can 2HKO back with Hi Jump Kick if it uses Double Team and Pikachu has trouble hitting it. Machamp's Submission deals about twice as much damage as Thunderbolt, avoid it. * Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Pikachu can get past the first Gengar by paralysing it with Thunder Wave, then using Thunderbolt until it goes down; the same can be done with Haunter, an average 3-4HKO. The ace Gengar knows the Hypnosis and Dream Eater combo, as well as Confuse Ray and Psychic; it must be avoided, as even Light Screen just barely helps Pikachu match up to Gengar's damage throughput, and keeping Pikachu healed from both confusion and with its HP replenished is tougher than it is worth. Golbat is easily 2HKOed, whereas Arbok is 3HKOed, and should also be paralysed first; its Glare will otherwise do that to Pikachu. * Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Pikachu can 1-2HKO Gyarados with Thunderbolt, and will survive one Hydro Pump or Hyper Beam even if the OHKO is not scored; it can win against Aerodactyl the same way: although Aerodactyl outspeeds, its Hyper Beam is only a 2HKO, like Pikachu's Thunderbolt, and the latter does not require a turn to recharge. Pikachu may also pull off a victory against one of the Dragonair by combining Thunder Wave and Body Slam, but their Hyper Beam is a 2HKO and even just attempting this is risky; preferably, it should stay out of the battlefield while Dragonair or - worse yet - Dragonite are still standing. * Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Sandslash and Alakazam beat Pikachu as they usually would, Exeggutor hard-walls it with Leech Seed and Hypnosis, Magneton's Thunderbolt is twice as powerful as Pikachu's Body Slam, Ninetales can trap it with Fire Spin and all three of the Eeveelutions have raw power that is far superior to Pikachu's. Only Cloyster may be beaten, 2HKOed by Thunderbolt. * Post-Game: Pikachu against Mewtwo? Seriously? }} Moves Pikachu starts off with ThunderShock and Growl. At the very beginning of the game, a base 40 power STAB move is quite strong. In Yellow, it then gets Tail Whip at level 6 and Thunder Wave at level 8, whereas in Red and Blue it only learns the latter, at level 9. Thunder Wave is a useful move and will probably stay in Pikachu's set for a while, if not forever, since Pikachu and Raichu appreciate not being hit by paralysed enemies. Quick Attack comes at level 11 in Yellow and 16 in Red and Blue, and is good filler; Yellow offers yet another exclusive move at level 15, Double Team, and also sports Slam at level 20, which is a good upgrade to Quick Attack until better TMs are obtained. In Red and Blue, Pikachu learns Swift at level 26 instead; still an okay upgrade, less powerful but more reliable than Slam. At level 26 in Yellow, Pikachu gets Thunderbolt, which is essentially the only level-up move it really needs; unfortunately, Pikachu does not learn Thunderbolt by level in Red and Blue, so it will have to be taught by TM instead. At level 33 in all three games, it gets Agility, which is entirely redundant with their base Speed and Thunder Wave. Thunder comes at level 41 in Yellow and 43 in Red and Blue; stronger than Thunderbolt, sure, but also less accurate: it should be kept alongside Thunderbolt if anything, not as a replacement. Lastly, only in Yellow, Pikachu learns Light Screen at level 50, a useful support move which somewhat compensates for its very lacking stats in the late game. The TM pool does not offer a lot to this line, but still more than the average Generation I Pokémon. There is Submission, which has good coverage, but is a relatively bad move in itself; its accuracy is low, and it has recoil too, which in Pikachu's case really stinks, as its HP will be much lower than its opponents'. Raichu uses it better. Reflect is a good option and should definitely be taught; it makes Raichu a better-rounded tank and helps the team, as well as giving a bit more endurance to Pikachu. As for Normal coverage, there are several options; Body Slam is probably best, but Double-Edge is available too. Raichu can also learn Hyper Beam, which is a good move for it to have given its high Speed and chance of critting, as well as the nice perk of not needing to recharge if the opponent is KOed by it. Raichu's Attack is good enough to make this happen in some cases, and even as a filler move, it still serves its purpose finishing off enemies. Recommended moveset: Thunderbolt, Submission, Body Slam, Thunder Wave / Reflect / Light Screen only / Hyper Beam only Recommended Teammates * Pokémon that are good against Ground-types: Having only one weakness, Raichu is easily covered for, especially since Water-types are so common. Grass-types can work too, but they should not be part Poison, since they lose the Ground resistance. With a proper Ground buster on the team, Raichu can be an excellent lead. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Blastoise, Golduck, Poliwrath, Slowbro, Dodrio, Exeggutor, Starmie, Gyarados, Lapras, Vaporeon * Physical tanks: Raichu's Defense is lacking without Reflect, and even though Reflect compensates well, critical hits exist and are common in this generation. As such, there should be at least one Pokémon on the team that is good at taking physical hits. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Sandslash, Slowbro, Cloyster, Exeggutor, Kangaskhan, Lapras, Snorlax, Dragonite Other Pikachu's stats Raichu's stats Note: the ratings are referred to Raichu, and thus only applicable in Red and Blue and/or in Yellow in the event that the player chooses to trade-evolve. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Whenever it learns Thunderbolt, which is likely to conveniently coincide with the time the player reaches Celadon City, though only in Yellow; Red and Blue players will not benefit of level-up Thunderbolt, and should just use the TM on their Pikachu or Raichu instead, evolving it as soon as possible. If Pikachu cannot be evolved, it is highly unlikely it will make any sort of difference in its team, except occupy an otherwise useful team slot. * How good is the Pikachu line in a Nuzlocke? If evolved into Raichu, very good. It shines the most in Red and Blue, where very few things are not afraid of STAB Thunderbolt and it also gets usable Normal and Fighting coverage to deal with them. Raichu is an excellent teammate to have, and it fills in the Electric niche better than anything else, possibly even better than Jolteon, as Jolteon has next to no coverage outside of Thunderbolt, which is only accessible to it via TM. Pikachu, however, is another story: an alright resource in the Misty fight, and after that, it becomes near-dead weight for the rest of the game. * Weaknesses: Ground * Resistances: Flying, Electric * Immunities: None * Neutralities: Normal, Fighting, Grass, Water, Fire, Poison, Rock, Bug, Ghost, Psychic, Ice, Dragon Category:Red/Blue/Yellow Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses